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HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS

At KLR, donuts are a don’t, stairs take flight

ALL TOGETHER NOW: Every day at Kahn, Litwin, Renza’s Providence headquarters, staff take a brisk walk, both inside and outside the building.

PBN PHOTO/
RUPERT WHITELEY

Posted:
Saturday, August 11, 2012 12:05 am

By John LarrabeeContributing Writer

At Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., the results of the office wellness program can be seen at every morning staff meeting.

“You don’t see people reaching for donuts,” said Steven Loffredo, the firm’s human resources director. “They’re asking for fruit. There has definitely been a change in eating habits.”

Kahn Litwin Renza – KLR – is one of New England’s top accounting and consulting firms, with headquarters in Providence. While accounting is a business known for keeping people at their desks, the 165 employees at KLR are encouraged to get up and get moving.

The firm has had a wellness program for several years, often using activities put together by ShapeUp Rhode Island, the statewide workplace-fitness program, and the Health & Wellness Institute, a fitness-education company in Providence. Every day at KLR’s Providence office, a group goes outside for a brisk walk. And several times a year, employees put together fundraising walkathon teams.

“This year there was also a lot of interest in nutrition, so we brought in an outfit called Healthy Kitchen to put on a series of cooking demonstrations,” Loffredo said.

In May, the firm brought in a massage therapist to give 10-minute back rubs. A yoga instructor gave a six-week office course on relaxation exercises that can be done at one’s desk.

The firm is now developing a plan to link participation in the wellness program to health-plan premiums. When employees provide proof they see a doctor every year, their premium costs will go down. •

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